Samuel: Introduction
The two books of Samuel are combined as one book in the Hebrew Bible.
The first book closes with the death of Saul and the second takes up David’s time as king.
The books of Samuel are part of a larger group of books that trace the history of Israel from the conquest of Palestine to the captivity in Babylon. This history begins with Joshua and Judges and ends with 1st & 2nd Kings.
The books of Samuel and Kings were originally grouped together and were known as the “Book of the Reign of Kings.”
The books of Samuel cover almost 100 years of Israel’s history. They take Israel from a loose gathering of tribes to a settled monarchy under David.
The content of these books could be loosely arranged around three personalities:
Samuel, Saul, And David.
The historical author probably used material preserved by the prophets Samuel, Nathan, and Gad. The books did not take their final shape until approximately the sixth century B.C. as the people were returning from the captivity. Part of the people were still in Babylon. There was no temple, no capital, no king.
If we look at the books of Samuel through the eyes of a people desperate for hope, there are several basic ideas about God that are seen and are repeated throughout the two books:
1. God overrules human affairs, great and small, to achieve His purpose.
2. God always acts in the best interest of His people, whether He blesses, judges, or teaches.
3. God always calls appropriate leaders for His work, and uses them to implement His will.
4. God is present with His people and never abandons them.
5. God is a righteous God and expects His children to reflect His character.
6. God is at work in the smallest details of history working out His purpose in His holy way.
Bible scholars tend to agree that Samuel himself wrote 1st Samuel 1-24 and
Nathan and Gad wrote the balance of the books.
The books teach us that Samuel was presented to God by his mother Hannah, as she had promised the Lord when He granted her wish for a son.
Her gifting of Samuel to God for His service was done with the promise of him as a Nazarine for life. This time in the life of Samuel seems to conclude at the age of 12. There were next to be what is called his “silent years” until he was 32 years old, and it was during these years he was commissioned a prophet by God. It is no coincidence that Numbers 4:3 commanded full service to God to begin after age 30.
From those years until his old age, he served God as prophet and judge of the people.
As Samuel grew into manhood, God worked powerfully in his life.
He became one of the most important figures in Israel’s history. Not only was he a national prophet, but also he was the bridge between the time of the judges and the kings to come.
When Samuel was an old man, he saw much disappointment that Israel asked him to appoint a king to rule. God instructed Samuel to warn the people about the power of a human king but He instructed Samuel to give Israel what she wanted as she was not rejecting Samuel but rejecting God Himself.
1st Samuel is crucial in showing the continuity of God’s plan for Israel. God had promised Abraham a king would descend from him when Israel did not yet exist. When the first king was crowned, God had partially fulfilled His promise. The promise will be fully filled when Jesus will sit upon David’s throne
Samuel is a book about the providence of God. When powers of evil appeared to prevail, God had not lost. When Israel failed God, He never failed them nor forsook them. In Saul’s failures, God still ruled and when David was running for his life, God still was in control.
God’s sovereignty is on full display in the books of Samuel. We see His power over all things as He even used the powers of darkness to render His judgment over Israel’s first king in 1st Samuel 16. His control over His creation is never partial but always is fully complete and the books of Samuel will so testify as they are studied.